1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary non-contact connector and a non-rotary non-contact connector. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel improvement in implementing single-channel or multi-channel signal transmission based on non-contact radio communication by using the rotary non-contact connector or the non-rotary non-contact connector. In the case of the rotary non-contact connector, a rotor of a rotary transformer is equipped with a rotating-side radio transceiver, and electric power from an external source is supplied through the intermediary of the rotary transformer to an electric circuit for driving the rotating-side radio transceiver. In the case of the non-rotary non-contact connector, the electric power from an external source is supplied through the intermediary of a stationary transformer to an electric circuit for driving a radio transceiver at a power-supplied side.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, signal transmission between a stationary unit and a rotating-side unit has been effected by connecting, for example, a rotating-side unit mounted on a gimbal mechanism having a plurality of rotating shafts or a single-shaft rotating platform and a stationary-side unit by using a rotary joint or slip ring and a contact connection type connector, and eventually by direct coupling to the contact connection type connector.
Great efforts have been made to obviate the need for the use of wiring, and the non-contact data transfer has become significantly easier owing to the progress in the recent close-range radio communication technology. However, it has been difficult to achieve supply of electric power from a stationary unit to a rotating-side unit in a non-contact mode, and the need for the wire for supplying power still remains, making it difficult to completely eliminate wiring.
The conventional transmission of signals between a stationary unit and a rotating-side unit described above has been presenting the following problems.
Specifically, the connection method based on a contact type connector and the direct coupling wiring method for connecting a stationary unit and a rotating-side unit inevitably produce parasite drag generated due to the twist or rigidity of wiring even when only rotational motion of finite angles is involved.
The rotary joint or slip ring method has been posing such problems as larger sizes, higher cost, and lower environmental resistance although it has less likelihood of the occurrence of the parasite drag attributable to the twist or rigidity of wiring.